The Letter is here
by Loves to read books
Summary: Fay Dunbar's Hogwart's letter is here. But first she must deal with her younger sister, older brothers and life in general.
1. The First Letter

The letter is here!

"Fay! Wake up!" Katy squealed into Fay's ear.

Fay buried deeper into her bed sheets, not wanting to wake. Not for her annoying – no, she shouldn't think that about her sister. Her sister was sweet and loving. Fay just had a hard time remembering that when the four year old insisted on waking her up at –

"Go away, Katy its 6:30 am" Fay mumbled from under her blankets. "I was up late last night. Wake me up later." Fay loved to sleep and didn't see eye to eye with anybody who woke before eight o'clock at the earliest.

Fay was a great lover of Gobstones and had played the game till the early mornings with her neighbors children, who had spent the night over at her house while Fay's parents babysat them.

Katy did not give up. Unlike her older sister, she was a morning lark and in her mind everybody should wake up when she did.

"Everybody else is awake," Katy teased her sister all while trying to tickle Fay – both with little success. Fay refused to be woken. But Katy had great news for Fay, and knew Fay would want to know as soon as possible that…

"Your Hogwarts letter is here, Fay"

Fay's eyes opened at the same time as she shot out of bed, almost tripping over the sleeping bags her charges from last night had used. Good thing they weren't in them.

"WHAT!"

Katy waved a letter with the Hogwarts crest in front of Fay's face.

Fay could see her name and address spelled out in green ink when Katy turned the letter over to the other side.

"See!" Katy said pointing her finger at the address "It has your name on it, even your bedroom. Dada told me what it said." Katy couldn't read very well, but that didn't stop her from knowing what everybody's mail contained.

"Give that to me!" Fay demanded.

Katy shook her head and danced out of reach. "Say the magic words first" She said. But Fay wasn't going to be polite to someone who woke her so early in the morning – even if it was to inform her that the most amazing letter in existence had arrived.

"Now, Katy!" Fay ordered.

"Tut, tut; if you're going to be grump about it then you have it catch me if you want to get your letter" she giggled as she twirled and rushed out of the bedroom and down the stairs.

"Brat" Fay growled jumping out of her warm bed.

Katy just laughed and ran out of the room, followed by her irate older sister.

Sometimes Fay loved having siblings. This was not one of those moments. Fay chased Katy around the breakfast table, shouting a rushed "sorry, dad!" at her father who was setting the table for the morning meal and caught both the letter and her sister around her waist before the young girl could escape outside.


	2. The Second Letter

The Second Letter

The kitchen was a mess. The sun was shining brightly though the red frilly curtains and Fay could clearly see the disaster zone. Fay was tempted to go and call her brothers and sister inside to get them to clean up their own mess, but instead she just moved the dirty dishes out of the way before sitting down at her usual setting. She would wash them after breakfast. She didn't want to leave a mess for mum and she didn't want a row with her siblings. Not at – she looked at the clock – 9: 32 am in the morning.

Summer was for sleeping in, Fay thought, but the rest of her family disagreed. They all woke with the birds; leaving her to eat alone and finish up the dishes long after they had all gone to work or play.

'I'm like their house elf' Fey thought to herself. But what did she expect with a house full of boys. Fey had three older brothers and only one younger sister. Her mother had had the boys in an earlier marriage, and when her first husband – the boys father – had been killed early in the war for being a blood traitor, she had married Fay and Katy's father. Her father was an Obliviator and was often stressed for time; so she didn't blame him for not picking up after himself and her mother worked nightshifts at St. Mongo's so she was still abed. But her brother's Alic, Harfang (named after Fay's mother's great-grand father Harfang Longbottom), and Timothy were all on holiday, and didn't have anywhere important to be. Harfang and Timothy didn't even live at the Dunbar's residence anymore. They had graduated from Hogwarts years ago and both lived overseas. They were just in the country for mother's fiftieth birthday. You would think that they would know how to clean up their breakfast plate, but no, they had to leave it for Fay or their mother to clean. They just wanted to go outside and play Quidditch – like little children.

After she had eaten her toast with marmalade and washed it all down with a glass of cold milk, she washed the dishes and headed outside. She squinted against the sun and spotted her brothers and sister all riding broomsticks. Katy was on her toy broom and was being helped along by her eldest brother Harfang; and instead of playing a game of two-on-two Quidditch, they were playing catch with Katy using the Quaffle. Fay smiled to herself as she went to fetch her broomstick. They were good brothers even if they made terrible house keepers.

After getting on her broom she zoomed up behind Alic and snatched the Quaffle from him. The five siblings played until their mother called them in for lunch. Mum served the family cheese sandwiches with soup.

"I'm impressed" Mum said told us "You cleaned up, this morning! This is a first" Her eyes twinkled in Fay's direction, so Fay knew mum knew the truth. That she had done the washing up. The boy's all looked guiltily down at their plates and missed mum winking at Fay's direction. "Since you have all decided to take up more responsibility, you boys can clean up the lunch as well." Fay laughed as the boys sputtered but didn't protest.

Mum sipped her tea, as she tried not to laugh at her boy's expressions. She knew her children too well to think that they had done any of the cleaning. They were just like their father in that regard. She felt dread whenever she thought of Harfang and Tim's house in Egypt. It was probably a mess. The boys were had gotten too dependent on the Hogwarts house elves and now that they were on their own…

That reminded her.

Mum got up from her seat and walked over to the letters the owl had delivered less than an hour earlier.

"Hogwarts letters have arrived" she informed Fay who was entering her second year, and Alic who was in his last year.

"Excellent!" Alic said "I hope I made Captain now that Loren has graduated." He was in Ravenclaw. He was the only one in the family.

Fay just took her letter. She had been waiting for this moment all summer. Though she had gotten mail from friends and family, she didn't think she would ever get over trill of receiving a letter. And a Hogwarts letter was the best kind to receive. She remembered last year's adventures and couldn't wait for this year's.


	3. The Third Letter

The Third Letter

Fay looked intensely at the chess board in front of her. Alic, her eighteen year old brother, bit his lip contemplating his next move.

"Life is like a chess game, isn't it?" Fay said suddenly. Alic looked up, startled. Neither sibling had said a world for the last ten minutes.

"Why would you say that?" Alic replied. He looked up from the board as he said this. He had been worried about his sister lately. Ever since her classmates and roommate had been petrified she had taken up a vial of isolation. Spending less and less time with Alic, which she usually loved to do – the two siblings had a very close relationship.

When Alic had written to his older brothers for advice, they hadn't taken it seriously. They had thought it was about time Fay hung out with girls her own age and away from her older brother. After all, they reasoned, Alic wouldn't be there for Fay in her third year, and he needed to give her space. But Alic had noticed that Fay hadn't spent her time with girl friends but alone in the library studying. Their mother had been pleased rather than worried when Alic had written to her after not being satisfied with Harfang and Timothy's responses.

"Good! This means she'll get better grades than your older brothers" – Both Harfang and Tim had barley passed their NEWT's

Alic repeated his question to his sister when she didn't respond "Why would you think life is like chess?" Alic looked intensely at Fay.

"It's because of what happened to those poor muggle-borns. Someone statistically thought of the best way to rid the school of them. Just like a chess game." Fay said softly.

"You don't know that" Alic replied gently. "Nobody really knows what happened, all we know is that the golden trio was involved – as usual – and that they aren't saying anything."

Fay shook her head. "I heard them talking – after the midnight feast" She looked back at the chess players. They were not taking being ignored well. One of her knights was waving his fist angrily at Fay. "Remember how Potter reviled he could talk to snakes at the dueling club? Well it turns out he wasn't the only parseltongue at the school."

Alic leaned forward in his chair with anticipation.

"So if Potter wasn't the heir, who do they name as the real 'heir of Slytherin?" he asked.

"That's the part that I don't one hundred percent get" Fay admitted. "They said it was You-know-who had been enchanting Ginny Weasley to open the Chamber of Secrets, but I must have heard wrong because isn't –"

"—You-know-who dead" Alic continued. He shook his head. "There are some who say that Potter didn't finish off You-know-who, that Potter just weakened him." He shrugged his shoulders "Personally I rather think He-who-shall-not-be-named was dead long gone. If that makes me a coward, so be it" Alic finally moved his Chess piece.

"But that's not the only thing bothering you about the entire fiasco" Alic said.

"I want to become an Auror after school" Fay said. Alic froze, Fay thought, rather comically almost looking like that muggle picture Granger had of her parents on her bed side table back at school. Alic didn't say anything so Fay continued "I want to stop dark wizards from hurting innocent people, I don't want to feel helpless like I did this year. I want to make a difference in the world"

"You can make a difference without risking your neck" Alic whispered. He was still in shock with what his sister reviled.

Fay knew why he was worried. "I'm not going to get myself killed" Fay promised. "I'm not your father." It was for this reason that she had taken so long in informing her family of her choice in future occupation. Why she had avoided Alic at school. She didn't think she could look him in the face and not inform him of her secret. Fay's older brothers had been very young when their birth father – an Auror himself, had been killed in a raid. Even though Alic had very few memories of his first dad he had never lacked a fatherly figure. Fay's dad had married their mother less than a year after the funeral and Fay's dad had taken the responsibility of fathering Alic, Harfang and Tim very seriously.

"Mother won't let you" Alic said determined to change his sister's mind. "None of us want to lose another family member to a dark wizard"

"It will be different with me." Fay said with a determined voice "Your father was an Auror during dangerous times. A war was going on for Merlin's sake" Fay moved her knight into checkmate position, but Alic didn't notice. "And mother doesn't have any say in my future job, and neither do you."

Not wanting to fight to break out, Alic backed down. He would write to his brothers as soon as possible and then figure out what to do to stop the madness. What Alic really wanted to do was shake his sister and yell 'Do you really know what you are doing?" He had been very young – he had been three – when his father's partner had turned up at the door and informed his mother that his father had been killed. It wasn't until Alic had been older that he had found out the entire story. His father hadn't just been killed, they had tortured him first. What did Alic care that his father hadn't broken? All he cared about was that his father was gone for good. He loved his step-father, but he would never take the place of his read dad.

Plus Fay might not even get into the program. Alic thought with renewed optimism. He had heard from a friend who's cousin was thinking about entering that you needed all O's to be given just an interview and that wasn't any guarantee that you would make the training program. Fay was a good student, she had gotten all O's in her classes, except in DADA where she had gotten an E, but first and second years little homework compared to OWL and NEWT students and some students who did well at first, did terribly later on in their schooling carrier.

And speaking off Hogwarts; was that an owl? It was, and as Fay rushed to the window to let the bird in Alic looked at the Chess board. Darn, he was losing. Fay could win in two obvious ways. How had his sister trapped him like this? He made a note to himself. 'Never play chess when distracted.' He shrugged and tipped his king over. He didn't mind losing.

"You win" Alic told Fay, expecting her to gloat – she always did. But this time she just gave a sweet smile.

"Not yet," She said "But I will soon." she opened her letter slowly. Alic frowned. They weren't talking about the chess game anymore.

"I don't think I'll ever stop trying to get you to give up this Auror nonsense" Fay just shook her head.

"Didn't I just tell you," she said "Life is just like a chess game. And I just played my first piece. I know you wouldn't accept the concept of me in danger easily, so I played my cards early." Alic smiled though not with humor.

"So now we're playing cards?"

Fay laughed and went to her room to read her letter in privacy.


	4. The Fourth Letter

The Fourth Letter

The Dunbar family arrived at the World Cup one week before the game started. They hadn't managed to get great seats, but Fay was ok with that; any Quidditch was better than none at all. The one thing Fay had been worried about her were her school supplies, because her supply letter hadn't arrived in time for them to go to Diagon Alley before the match, ("Dumbledore probably had a hard time finding another Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," mum had said when asked. "The letter has to wait for the new teacher to pick the new school books.") They had no choice but hope the match didn't go all the way to September the first. So they had arrived at world cup early, unlike families like the Malfoy's who had the gold to bribe their way to the best seats in the stadium and who had the permission to arrive to the match the evening of the match. Her family, while no means poor, was still not as influenced or rich as some of the other pure blood families.

Unfortunately only Fay, Katy, and their parents were able to make the game. Fay's older brothers had all left home, and though Alic had hoped to make it, he had cancelled regretfully at the last minute. Harfang had recently married a German witch and though he would have loved to make the world cup he didn't think the World Cup with his family was romantic enough. He and his wife were honeymooning in France. Tim didn't like Quidditch and didn't think the expense was worth it. Fay's almost eight year old sister Katy thought Tim was crazy.

"What's better than Quidditch?" She asked. Fay agreed with her little sister. Quidditch was truly best sport in the world.

During the week before the game, the Dunbar family had fun roasting fluffy sweets called marshmallows over a campfire – "This is what muggles do when they camp." dad had explained – and playing magical games such as gobstones and two on two Quidditch (much to the dismay of the ministry workers who had the job of wiping the memories of the few muggle's around) with the other Hogwarts students who had arrived around the same time as Fay and her family. Fay who took Care of Magical Creatures at Hogwarts also spent some time in the Forest of Dean, searching up animals Hagrid had showed the class.

Then it was the last day before the game, and the entire family got to bed early though Fay could hardly sleep. But sleep did find her and the next day mum didn't have to wake Fay for the first and last time ever.

Fay was eating a quick breakfast when her best friend Chelsea, fellow Gryffindor and roommate showed up. They didn't have long to talk, only a quick hello and hug before Chelsea's parents called her away from a few feet away. Chelsea promised to meet up with Fay at Diagon Alley after their Hogwarts letters came and left with her parents. The two girls hadn't met up that summer as her family had gone to Egypt to visit Chelsea's brother who was currently a curse breaker.

After breakfast Katy and Fay walked around, and Fay introduced the young girl to her class mates. Fay ran into Hermione Granger along with fellow Gryffindor's Ron Weasley and Harry Potter. Katy had been extremely flustered at the introduction to the famous wizard and her cheeks flushed red and all she could do was summer and quick hello. They ran into Fay's last two roommates Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil who were with the Patil family eating an early lunch. Fay, Lavender and Parvati got along well at school but they didn't really have much to say to each other outside Hogwarts, so Fay and Katy didn't stay long.

"We are back, mum!" Fay called as she and Katy got back to their campsite. "Let's eat lunch, I'm starving."

After lunch of sandwiches, and cold cuts they made their way to the stadium.

The match was amazing! Fay thought after the game. It was amazing how the opposing team caught the snitch, but still lost. She wasn't surprised Ireland won; they had the more superior team after all. Though all the Irish were partying and having a grand time, mum wouldn't let Fay ("But I'm fourteen, mum!") or Katy participate. The family had booked a portkey early the next day and mum wanted the kids to have a few hours' sleep before their 3 o'clock portkey. Mum was a healer and she strongly believed sleep loss led to illness and unhappiness, and preferred the kids – even Fay – to have as much sleep as possible. It was one of the only reasons Fay was able to sleep in as long as she wanted to on the school holidays.

At 2 o'clock the parents woke the kids and everybody started packing away the tent – muggle style. ("Just for the experience, kids" mum cajoled "not everything can be solved with magic.) Just as the last bag was packed, Fay heard screaming from beyond the tents near the Forest of Dean. She twisted her head around only to see a horrifying sight. Marching people in black cloaks and distorted faces – no those were masks, and above the marching people's heads was a family being twirled around like puppets at a play.

That was all Fay was able to see, for at just that moment mum grabbed Fay and Katy's arms and turned on the spot. Fay felt like she was being squeezed though a small hole. The feeling only lasted a few seconds. When she was more or less able to breathe again, she noticed her home in the background. Mum must have disapparated. Fay had never experienced side-along -apparition before as it was only recommended with underage students in emergencies.

Mum looked around, still worried.

"Not again" she muttered to herself "Please, Marlin not again." She had her wand out and had a weary and slightly fearful look on her face.

'Did she think those people had followed them home?' Fay wondered to herself as she clutched her stomach after the world stopped spinning.

"What was going on mum" Katy said fearfully. She too looked green. But Fay was glad she asked since Fay still felt queasy from the apparition.

"Never mind that" Mum snapped uncharacteristically "Oh, where is your father!" She looked around as if dad was just hiding under the rose bushes. Fortunately dad apparated by mum's side just then and mum gave a gasp of relief and hugged dad.

"What was that?" Fay asked even though Fay felt like she would vomit at any moment. Fays voice didn't sound like her's, but nobody seemed to notice.

Mum and dad looked at each other for what seemed like hours, but were probably just a few seconds.

"Not now," Dad decided "We will tell you everything tomorrow morning when we know more information, most likely it will be reported in the paper." Fay felt like arguing; Fay knew she wouldn't be able to sleep even though whatever was happening were miles away. But one looked at the dread in mum's eyes and she didn't.

The next morning Fay was first up and first to collect the owl mail. Our copy of the newspaper arrived right on time. On the front cover was a huge picture of a skull like object with a snake coming out of the mouth. One look at it and Fay recognized it as you-know-who's sign.

Last year a killer named Sirius Black escaped the wizard jail called Azkaban. He was the first person to ever do so. And since Fay planned to become an auror she had researched the group Black had been part of and had come up with the Death Eaters.

That's what had been marching around at the world cup, Fay suddenly realized. Death Eaters that didn't get tossed in Azkaban. And the family being used as toys must have been muggle. That's who the Death Eaters hated the most. Well them and muggle borns, but Fay had a feeling it had been a muggle family. Fay felt sick, at this realization, but she also felt determination; this was the reason she wanted to become an auror.

After reading the news article Fay just sat their thinking. When the second owl swooped in the window – carrying a school letter, Fay did not feel the usual excitement that crept up on her when a letter arrived from Hogwarts; she was too busy thinking about last night and what it meant to her.


	5. The Fifth Letter

The Fifth Letter is here

Fay was still abed despite it being almost 11 o'clock. But the rest of her family was awake. Her mother making brunch and her father was read the newspaper at the table, shaking his head ever so often read something shocking. Fay's younger sister was also awake. She, unlike Fay, was a morning lark.

"Dumbledore's a mess, lately," dad muttered to himself as he turned the page "Old age I suspect" he continued in an unsurprised tone. Since the summer had started less than two months ago, he had gotten used to hearing horror stories about Dumbledore, and the latest news was no shock.

"What does the paper's say, daddy?" Fay's nine year old Katy asked from his side. Mum had parked her down beside dad after she broke her second dish, claiming Katy was no help, and that she should go and keep Daddy company. Katy had readily complied. She would rather spend her time with her father. Katy was a genuine daddy's girl.

"Professor Dumbledore's telling everybody that You-know-who is alive." Dad told Katy. "It's quite untrue though, dear." dad consoled Katy after she gasped. "You-know-who died years ago, and people can't come back from the dead. Poor Dumbledore has gotten quite old and is confused. Do you understand?"

Katy nodded. She understood the situation well; her godmother had gotten forgetful and confused in the last year of her life.

"Will Dumbledore have to retire soon?" Katy asked. "Will he have to live in St. Mongo's like Aunt Elisa did when she got too old and confused to live alone?"

Dad didn't know, "Maybe," he said with a grim smile. "We will have to wait and see what happens. Dumbledore has already been retired from the International Confederation of Wizards and the Wizengamont, so it's only a matter of time before he leaves the school as well." Dad turned the page to a new article.

"Aha! Here is an article about Harry Potter." Dad said after a few minutes of silence. He showed Katy a picture of the boy who lived.

"All that fame got to his head and now he's been caught in too many lies." Dad shook his head. "That's what fame does to some people though, they get so used to it, they have to have it in any way possible, even if they must lie and cheat to get it."

Katy nodded sadly when her father said this. Last year Harry Potter had entered himself into a contest that was held and her sister's school, even though he was too young.

'That had been a very arrogant thing to do,' Katy had thought to herself when Fay had written to the family about it. She had been so angry when she had found out; as she had seen Harry Potter as her hero, and even she knew that hero's don't illegally enter contests. Harry Potter was no hero; he was a liar and a cheat who entered himself into a contest against the rules, and then had taken the winnings away from the real winner of the contest, a nice Hufflepuff named Cedric Diggory.

Lost in thought, Katy didn't notice the owl until it pecked her.

"Dad, there's an owl," Katy said nervously. Katy liked letters, but the owls scared her a little.

Dad took the letter from the owl and the owl flew to the resting porch where it drank some water before leaving though the open window.

"It's from Hogwarts –" Dad announced

"WHAT!" Katy shrieked and took the letter from dad. 'Excellent' she grinned to herself 'I can play chase the letter, hide and seek and bother the sister, I haven't been able to play this for in years.'

With that she went to wake her sister and start the games.


	6. The sixth letter

The Sixth Letter

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><p><strong>Well this is the 6<strong>**th**** chapter. I was disappointed with the number of reviews I have gotten. I don't know how people feel about my story; please tell me how I can improve and what people like. **

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><p>"There is no hiding from the truth," Dad said grimly as mum burst into tears for the second time that morning. "We are now at war." Dad put down the newspaper and hugged mum making hushing noises. Ten year old Katy stood to the side, no sure how to react to her normally strong mother crying, while Fay waved her wand causing the tea pot to come zooming in from the counter three feet away. She poured a cup for mum, and mum sipped the hot liquid as she tried to get her emotions in check.<p>

Mum had taken the news worse than anybody else in the family, Fay knew, because Mum's first husband had been killed during the first war. He had been an auror – a dark wizard catcher— who during a raid on a deatheathers house had accidently triggered a trap. He had died days later.

Fay's three older brothers were all in various different countries at the moment, and Fay knew as soon as they heard about the war they would ask, plead, and demand the rest of the family to also leave England. They wouldn't have any problem's getting mum to agree to leave England, but Fay knew running away didn't sit well with her. She couldn't just leave and be safe, not when all her friends would be in danger.

Dad handed out pamphlets the ministry had printed to help protect its citizens. Fay had read the pamphlet earlier and had had great difficulty not snorting with disbelief. Did the ministry really think this information would help keep people safe? Dad must have because he had pinned one up on the kitchen board. Fay didn't have the same faith in the newspaper and the ministry as she did before they had spread all the lies about Potter and Dumbledore last year.

Mum had stopped crying at this point, only sniffling every few seconds as she, Fay and Katy placed warm porridge and cold milk on the table.

"Will I be able to go to Hogwarts next year?" Katy asked nobody in particular as the family sat down and started serving themselves food.

"I don't know, love," mum said "We might have to leave England for a while." Dad nodded his agreement.

Katy did an amazing interpretation of a fish, but Fay was not surprised. She had been expecting this all summer.

"Don't worry, though," mum told Katy in what she thought was a reassuring voice "Dad and I can homeschool you next year and Fay can help."

"I'm returning for my NEWT year at Hogwarts," Fay announced loudly "So I won't be able to able to help teach Fay her 'swish and flicks', next year because I will be a seventh year NEWT student at Hogwarts." She was ignored.

"If we are going to leave, we should do so soon." Dad said as he sprinkled sugar over his porridge. "We don't want to be stuck in the country if they go into lock down like they did last time."

Mum nodded, her eyes now filled with a determination. She also had a slightly crazy look on her face as if she would do anything to achieve her goals of protecting her family.

Mum and dad started talking about all the work they would have to do to move countries and where they would go when they did move. They ignored Katy who was sitting sullenly on her chair, not touching her food with her arms folded. They paid no heed to Fay when she said over and over that she was seventeen and that they couldn't stop her from returning to Hogwarts. After breakfast mum ordered Fay to clean up the table, wash up and make sure Katy didn't sneak outside with a broomstick as it wasn't safe outside. Mum and dad then retreated to the study and Katy went to sulk in her room.

Although Fay was not religious, she felt a need to pray.

Pray for peace, pray for the muggle-borns even now being attacked and most of all she prayed for her future. Where will she be in a year's time? She didn't know. This time last year she hadn't had a care in the world. This year she didn't even know if she would be completing her schooling. She felt like her life was out of control; at this point all she could do was wait for her letter with her OWL results to come, sad as that seamed, it was the one and only sure thing in a now uncertain life.


	7. The Seventh Letter

The seventh letter

Fay and Katy crept slowly down stairs until they could listen in in the conversation their parents were having. Fay wished she had those, what were they called? Those sting like listening devises? She didn't know, but they would have come in great handy to spy on her parents. All she knew was that they were from the weasley's joke shop, but she had never put much stock in prank material and now she regretted it. Making a note to visit Diagon alley and the joke shop later, she peaked through a crack in the door. From their angle they could see their mother but not their father.

"But that was ok-" Fay whispered to Katy when she complained. "-because we can hear everything, so be quite before we miss something."

"The ministry has decided for the betterment of our young witches and wizards that they all receive Hogwarts education. Statistics have proven that those stay home and get schooling from nonprofessionals have less job opportunities, are more antisocial and are most likely to end up in Azkaban. Parents who don't follow the rules risk child services intervention." Dad read out loud from the newspaper. Dad snorted "I'm not frankly not surprised." he turned the page "The Carrow siblings have been given the DADA and muggle studies positions and with Snape as headmaster and we have to assume You-know-who has complete control over the school."

Mother just stared blankly at her breakfast plate, finally pushing back her breakfast. She didn't look wasn't hungry on the contrary she looked slightly green in the face.

A year ago she had tried to get her entire family out of the country when it became apparent that war was on England's doorstep, but though they had applied to transfer it hadn't come though it time. Now it was too late for them to leave. The ministry had placed the entire country in lockdown; this was 'supposedly' to stop the death eaters from getting outside support. Nobody magical was aloud in or out of the country.

'Unfortunately the ministry's amazing plan also trapped the innocent civilians.' She thought to herself angry, not for the first time, at her government. It had been ministry incompetence that had gotten her first husband killed.

She had comforted herself with the thought that at least her daughters, who were in their last and first year respectively, would be safe with headmaster Dumbledore around. Dumbledore was the only wizard You-know-who feared and Dumbledore cared deeply for his students safety; but Dumbledore had been killed at the end of the last school year. She remembered the shock she felt when she heard that the powerful man had been murdered in his own school. She had felt faint when she realized what Dumbledore death meant to the Hogwarts students. It meant nobody was safe anymore, least of all her girls. After the headmasters death she had decided to keep Katy at home and homeschool the eleven year old, but with the new laws in place…

That was now impossible.

Her youngest baby would not be safe at Hogwarts. Not with the Carrow's who were known death eaters and Snape – the man who killed Dumbledore – trolling the castle. She wasn't as worried for her other children, the boys were out of the country and Fay was seventeen. She was old enough and smart enough to keep her head down and not to do anything stupid. Fay would be ok, she knew how to handle herself, but Katy was delicate. She was her baby.

She dreaded the arrival of her children's letters and even more; she dreaded that when she said her good-bye on September 1st, she just might be saying good-bye forever.


	8. The Last Letter

The last letter

Dear Director Nashley:

It was certainly wonderful news when you Floo called this afternoon to offer me the position in the Auror department, please consider this letter my formal acceptance.

As we agreed, my starting date will be October 2nd. As I will be helping with the repair of Hogwarts and the funeral of a close friend and will not be able to start with the rest of the recruits; I formally thank-you for letting me start later.

I also understand that I will receive only partial pay as I have not gone through with my Auror training and my Auror apprenticeship as of yet. I am of the understanding that once I complete the mandatory two year training and one year apprenticeship I will be considered a full member of the Auror Corps and thus will receive all the benefits (I.e. Danger pay, full medical insurance coverage) of a full member.

Thank you again, Director Nashley, for offering me this wonderful opportunity, despite my lack of N.E.W.T.'s I know I can become a valued member of the Auror corps. After the long war, I am eager to start putting out world back together one peace at a time, and I know I can make a difference in your department.

Sincerely,

Fay Dunbar


End file.
